Director, Automation

BioSpace; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Long-term incentive programs

Job summary

AbbVie seeks an Engineering Automation Leader responsible for reliable, safe operations of automated process control systems across manufacturing sites. The role guides strategic technical programs, global processes, and data integrity, coordinating with diverse teams worldwide.

You will lead a virtual community of automation engineers, set standards for DCS/PLC/SCADA, drive cost reduction, training, and talent development, and travel ~20% for global initiatives.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Engineering is required.
• Minimum of 15 years of technical experience in Automation Engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years leading technical teams – regionally or globally preferred.
• Experience in leading virtual teams and roll-out of regional or global initiatives.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical/biotechnology operational best practices and regulatory expectations.
• Subject matter expertise in distributed control systems, SCADA, PLC, instrumentation/controls.
• Thorough understanding of data integrity and network security highly desirable.
• Strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a virtual Community of Practice team made up of Site Automation leaders and a direct staff of global automation engineers.
• Establish the position of Leader - Automation as the internal leader for all technical process control operations globally; provide the technical skills and expertise to guide the company’s automation standards to the next level of reliability, pro-active performance, and compliant practices.
• Lead a team of engineering experts in supporting Site Automation Managers and Operations Managers; ensure technical support is provided as required to maintain the standards and performance expectations at all AbbVie Operations manufacturing sites.
• Oversee the development and implementation of technical training programs for Automation.
• Support Global Sourcing in the area of global and regional contracts for Automation Process Control Systems including DCS, PLC, SCADA, OSI-PI, and other alliance and master service agreements.
• Provide audit support to site Automation teams and ensure consistent practices and globally consistent remediation, if applicable, are applied.
• Research and implement innovative cost reduction, reliability improvement, and user interface standardization initiatives in driving human error reduction.
• Achieve all KPIs (budget, schedule adherence in achieving project milestones meeting user requirements, etc.).
• Manage all aspects of AbbVie’s Talent Management process; coach and deliver ongoing performance feedback, set goals that drive outcomes and model AbbVie behaviors and assess performance accordingly. Build a high performing team & culture that demonstrates the AbbVie Way of Working.
• Work with virtual / remote teams on a regular basis; able to adapt work schedules to accommodate early and late day conference calls. Travel estimated at 20% of time, including some global travel.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Leadership experience

Global/virtual team leadership

Education

B.S. in Engineering

Tools

SCADA systems

PLC

DCS

Job description

Company Description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Job Description

The Engineering Automation Leader position has global responsibility for providing reliable, safe, and efficient operations and maintenance of AbbVie’s automated process control systems. The Leader - Automation is responsible for designing and implementing strategic technical programs and initiatives and global processes to assure consistent service delivery and compliance for the Manufacturing and Engineering Services organization for the Company. The L-A is the point of contact within manufacturing for automation topics including data integrity; system risks, mitigations, and standardization; and the leader guiding long term technology decisions and investments in automated process control for the company.

Responsibilities

Build and lead a virtual Community of Practice team made up of Site Automation leaders and a direct staff of global automation engineers; be the thought leader with experience managing a comprehensive, industry-leading automation program.

Establish the position of Leader - Automation as the internal leader for all technical process control operations globally; provide the technical skills and expertise to guide the company’s automation standards to the next level of reliability, pro-active performance, and compliant practices.

Lead a team of engineering experts in supporting Site Automation Managers and Operations Managers; ensure technical support is provided as required to maintain the standards and performance expectations at all AbbVie Operations manufacturing sites.

Oversee the development and implementation of technical training programs for Automation.

Support Global Sourcing in the area of global and regional contracts for Automation Process Control Systems including DCS, PLC, SCADA, OSI-PI, and other alliance and master service agreements.

Provide audit support to site Automation teams and ensure consistent practices and globally consistent remediation, if applicable, are applied.

Research and implement innovative cost reduction, reliability improvement, and user interface standardization initiatives in driving human error reduction.

Achieve all KPIs (budget, schedule adherence in achieving project milestones meeting user requirements, etc.).

Manage all aspects of AbbVie’s Talent Management process; coach and deliver ongoing performance feedback, set goals that drive outcomes and model AbbVie behaviors and assess performance accordingly. Build a high performing team & culture that demonstrates the AbbVie Way of Working.

Work with virtual / remote teams on a regular basis; able to adapt work schedules to accommodate early and late day conference calls. Travel estimated at 20% of time, including some global travel.

Qualifications

B.S. in Engineering required.

Minimum of 15 years of Technical experience; demonstrated expertise and practice in Automation Engineering including successfully running a large global initiative or large capital project.

Minimum of 5 years leading technical teams – regionally or globally preferred.

Experience in leading virtual teams and roll-out of regional or global initiatives.

Understanding of pharmaceutical/biotechnology operational best practices and regulatory expectations.

Subject matter expertise in distributed control systems, SCADA systems, PLC, instrumentation/controls.

Thorough understanding of data integrity and network security highly desirable.

Strong communication skills.

Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law.

The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html